BOARD01744

• Board Meeting Date: 4/18/1958
• Description: Minutes and Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

934

Local irrigation interests should have no fears with
respect to the interference with the uses of water under direct
flow decrees by the operation of the Narrows Reservoir. The
operation of the reservoir would be under the State Engineer
and enough water would be required to pass through the reservoir
to take care of the requirements below the reservoir under
existing water rights.

I

It is understood that the adjudication of multiple fillings
for South Platte reservoirs is in process. If such adjudica-
tions are consumated, the owners of such reservoirs should have
no fears concerning adverse effect by the operation of the
Narrows Reservoir.

With respect to interference with the operation of poten-
tial reservoirs on tributaries of the South Platte River which
would be intended to make useable some of the flood waters
which now cross the state line unused, it is believed that,
even though all such known upstream sites were utilized, it would
make little difference in the water available to the Narrows
Reservoir. The unused flood water crossing the state line is
very erratic in time of occurence; large quantities will be in
the stream for one year or even for a two-or-three year period,
and then there will intervene a long period of years such as
1931-1940 when very little unused flood water will cross the
state line. The floods are also erratic in place of occurrence.
Sometimes they are general throughout the basin, but more often
they occur at times on one tributary and at other times on other
tributaries. Therefore a large capacity reservoir located on
the main stem below the places of origin of the floods is re-
quired to equate the now unused flood flows over a period of
years. It is doubtful whether the total capacity of known up-
stream reservoirs would result in any significant equation of
such flood flows.

The following is a discussion of the benefits claimed for
the operation of the Narrows Reservoir.

Its operation will have no appreciable effect in reducing
the stages of the Platte and the Missouri Rivers during flood
periods.

Its operation will have a material flood control benefit
for the improvements lying in the flood plain of Colorado in I
the South Platte Valley below the reservoir. However, if its
beneficiaries living below the Narrows Reservoir had to pay for
the flood control benefits that would accrue to them from the
operation of the reservoir, they probably would not consider
such a development.